Human To Me
by Purple-Martin111
Summary: "Charlie, I am happy." Danse brushed his knuckles along her cheek, the fine lines around eyes crinkling with the curving of his mouth, "This is the happiest I've ever been." -Danse's been away, Charlie's been worried, what do lovers do when they're reunited after being separated?


_**A/N:**_ Including a warning for sexual content.

* * *

Night had befallen the Castle and with it, a lashing of freezing rain. It beat against the outer walls, streaming down the limestone bricks in gnarled rivulets only to be swept away by the churning sea below. And yet, within its walls the Castle's inhabitants slept, safe and warm, comforted by the reality that their lives were now truly beginning anew. With the end of the war, an almost-peace had settled upon the city, and the stronghold offered a luxury that few had been able to partake in until now – sleep.

Even through the storm, settlers and Minutemen, families and children, citizens and soldiers alike all slept. All except one. Despite the heat of the fire and the warm body beside her, Charlie shivered as she lay awake, staring at the blackness above.

Since the destruction of the Institute she had been plagued with insomnia. Her mind conjured sleepless nights with endless thoughts of the son she had lost and uncertainty about the family she had gained. Visions of the life she had left behind and the one she was beginning with a man who believed he wasn't worthy of her love and a boy she wasn't sure she deserved, tangled Charlie's thoughts deep into the wee hours of the morning.

Even though memories of the vault no longer haunted Charlie, the cold still bothered her. It triggered irrational anxiety and feelings of being trapped. Strangled by icy tendrils with nowhere to escape, it reminded her that there was still so much she could lose. One wrong decision and the Wastes would swallow her family.

Tonight was no different. Charlie had awoken to the sputtering of a dying fire and the first rumblings of thunder upon the horizon. Now, she whittled away her worries as lightning split the sky outside, illuminating the room just long enough for her to make out the fine cracks in the aged ceiling. It was close, close enough that she barely counted to one before the crack of thunder rattled her bones.

Danse twitched and grumbled his protest at the offending storm before rolling over and blindly reaching though the darkness.

"Charlie…?"

"Shh..." She pushed the blanket aside and scooted closer, her fingers tangling with his as she guided his arm rest around her waist.

"Charlie," he mumbled again and laid his head on her pillow.

"I'm here." The half light of the fire cast harsh shadows upon Danse's face, dark circles rimmed his eyes and hard lines stretched across his heavy brow. Charlie wondered if he had slept at all while he had been away. She brushed the wayward strands from his eyes and traced her thumb along the old scar that cut down his forehead. "The storm...it woke me too."

"Mm…" the soft rumbling of his sigh prickled against her skin, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Charlie smiled at how freely Danse admitted his feelings these days. He'd come a long way since she had found him, broken and alone, in the bunker. Still though, she worried and perhaps she always would. Even with all the progress, she wasn't convinced he had truly accepted who he really was.

"You don't need to worry about me." The grogginess of sleep lingered in Danse's voice but his eyes, rich and dark, alive with the glow of the fire, caught her by surprise.

"I wasn't..."

"I could hear you thinking," Danse smiled and kissed her forehead.

Charlie scoffed, feigning offense, "I thought you were asleep."

She attempted to wiggle away, but Danse caught her in his arms, pulling her to him until she was trapped against his chest. He slipped his hand beneath the hem of her shirt, his fingers finding their way to the sensitive skin above her hip.

"Danse!" She squealed, squirming in his arms and trying but failing to escape his hold, "Stop!"

With a chuckle and smile that brightened his entire face, he relented.

Unable to contain her own giggles, Charlie swatted at his shoulder, "What's the matter with you?"

His fingers lingered on her hip, just barely skimming her skin, "Tactical diversion."

"Oh? Tickling..." she rubbed her nose against his, "that in the field manual?"

"Mm-hmm," Danse teased, pressing his fingers gently against her hip again.

"No!" Charlie reached for his hand, trying to stop him, except Danse caught her wrist before she could.

He pulled her hand to his mouth, softly kissing the tips of her fingers as he whispered, "You worry too much."

"I just..." she hesitated but smiled anyway, watching the flickering fire light illuminate the flecks of gold in Danse's eyes, "want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy."

"Charlie, I am happy." Danse brushed his knuckles along her cheek, the fine lines around eyes crinkling with the curving of his mouth, "This is the happiest I've ever been."

"You say that but-"

"Something happened while I was at that settlement." Surprised by Danse's interruption, she expected a reprimand and sombering of the mood. Instead, he continued to smile and stroked his thumb across her cheek. "Something that made me realize that...maybe I've been wrong. That maybe where I came from...doesn't make me any less of a man," he paused to lean his forehead against hers, the tip of his nose just barely touching hers, "or any less worthy of your love."

Consumed by his nearness and the overwhelming warmth that bloomed in her chest, Charlie was lost to his sudden admission. Never before had Danse been so bold and she could see it in his eyes, something had changed, _he_ had changed.

"Charlie," his lips whispered against hers as he breathed her name, "you make me feel human."

"You are human," she murmured. Her cheeks burned and she wanted nothing more than to press herself against him and show him just how human he was.

"You're right," Danse pulled her closer. His thumb traced along her jaw before he slowly slid his hand into her hair, his fingers tangling with her loose waves. "You've always been right."

Charlie couldn't breathe. All previous ponderings forgotten with any shred of self-control when Danse softly kissed her lips, lingering there just long enough for the pounding of her heart to drive her mad with yearning from the overwhelming desire to be close to him. To feel his skin, slick and warm and _hungry,_ against hers. To be wrapped up in his arms, overpowered by the all-consuming sense of security that his embrace provided.

When she kissed him back, her lips lusted for unspoken desires. The soft caress of Danse's lips upon hers threatened to drown her in a tidal wave of warmth. His insistent mouth pushed against her shaking lips, parting them to entwine his tongue hers. Charlie trembled at his forcefulness, her nerves tingling with sensation that had been neglected too long.

The mattress creaked at her back as he rolled over to firmly press his body against hers. Charlie was enraptured, held captive by the weight of his desire. His lips devoured hers leaving her breathless and hungry for more. Her senses unraveled with each desperate pant he swallowed and she clung to him as if his body was the only solid thing keeping her from sinking into her dizzying, helpless impulses.

Charlie was sure she would drown in the heat of his mouth and his thoaty groans that boiled her blood. Her hands grabbed and pulled at his shirt, craving to feel his skin on hers. The taut muscles of his back and the tease of his flesh beneath her fingers, not nearly enough to ease her aching. Danse chuckled, a deep guttural sound that reverberated from his chest, at her whining when his shirt caught on his arms.

In one swift movement he yanked it off and Charlie was rewarded with the vast expanse of his naked chest. Her fingers splayed through the dusting of hair on his chest and she stretched her hands up over his shoulders. All bulk and hard lines, she couldn't help her eyes from wandering or her hands from touching every inch of exposed skin her fingers could reach. Before she could savor the extent of his body, Danse abruptly pulled her upright and tugged her shirt over her head.

He was immersed in the beauty of her body, his eyes flitted over her exposed chest before his arm enwrapped her waist and he held her flush against his body. The heat of his skin consumed her and Charlie melted into him, sighing at the feeling of intimacy burning between them. For a moment Danse paused to savor her lips with soft kisses and brush her hair from her face. His eyes were alight with unspoken emotion, warm pools of love and devotion that wordlessly whispered _forever_.

Danse held her close as he pushed her back towards the mattress. His lips never strayed far from hers, and he tenderly caressed her cheek as her head fell back against the pillow. Charlie ran her hands over his shoulders, relishing the way his muscles tensed and flexed, raw strength and power wrapped in firm flesh. Her fingers slid up his neck, and she scratched her nails through the short strands at his nape before fisting her hand in his hair with a firm tug.

"Charlie..." he grunted a ragged pant, fueling the fire within her veins that ravished her body with hot flutters from deep within her belly.

He bit at her lip in response and kissed her jaw, making his way down her neck. The heat of his mouth drifted along, lips pinching and sucking at the sensitive flesh. His lips set her skin aflame and wracked her body with delicious tingles that prickled across her flesh. Danse palmed her breast, brushing his thumb across her nipple before tracing the curve of her body down past her hips. He paused to run his fingers under the waistband of her underwear and Charlie couldn't help the needy whimper that parted her lips.

With pressure already building, spurring her on, it was too much. She needed him. Needed to be close to him. To feel every part of him. Charlie dragged her nails down his back, relishing in the way he grunted and sighed. Her hands fumbled with the waistband of his briefs before Danse pushed back and looked down upon her as if she was the sun and the moon. His entire whole world. As if she was his every heartbeat and the breath upon his lips.

She reached for him, needing to touch him and connect with him in that moment. Her hand caressed his face, her thumb scratching through his stubble as she smiled up at him. Carefully, Danse touched her, taking his time to cherish every inch of her body. He smoothed his hands over her stomach, lingering at her hips before pulling off her underwear and shimmying out of his.

As he leaned down, he ran his hands along her calves and kissed the inside of her thighs. Slowly, he came back to her lips, kissing his way along her hip, then up from her navel. His mouth and his hands teased her breasts, sucking and squeezing until Charlie was left gasping. Her chest heaved with the warm sensations that coiled through her body.

"Danse," she whined as his tongue flicked over her nipple.

Distracted by her soft pants, he looked up to meet her gaze. His brown eyes, filled with unending devotion, threatened to end her before they even began. Charlie twined her fingers in his thick hair, scratching at his scalp, and pulled him closer to capture his mouth, their lips melding together. Lost to the fervor of his mouth, she writhed beneath the weight of his body and pressed her hips into him.

They both groaned and Danse reached between them, stroking himself and rubbing the head of his cock through her wetness. With a gentle roll of his hips he slipped inside her. Charlie cried out, whimpering at the slow, undulating pressure of him pushing into her. Enraptured with sensation, she was unable tell him how much she needed him and how he made her feel whole.

Danse completed her.

She rocked her hips, desperate to feel every part of him, but Danse seized her hip and nearly collapsed on top of her, barely managing to catch himself on his elbow.

"Stop, stop," his breath came in shallow pants as he pleaded for her not to move and dipped his head to rest on her shoulder.

Breathless and overcome with emotion, Charlie wound her fingers through his hair and kissed his cheek. "It's-it's been too long," she whispered in his ear.

Finally, Danse lifted his head and moved with gentle rolls of his hips, "God, I missed you so damn much."

Charlie had no words as he thrust into her, only the soft sighs and moans that she couldn't hold back. She relished his slow, tender movements and the way his skin slid against hers. Warmth spread in her chest and she clung to him, unwilling to be separated from him even a fraction. Her thighs already trembled at the feeling of being so intimately bound to him.

Danse pulled away if only for a moment to grunt and sigh before returning to kiss her cheeks and along her jaw. He kissed down her neck, taking time to message the sensitive skin at the curve of her shoulder with his tongue. His teeth grazed her collar bone and she sighed his name, her heart pounding with the pressure already building within her.

But Danse was becoming impatient. His hips jerked forward and he thrust into her harder than before. Hands were everywhere, touching, grasping, clutching at skin, hot and slick. Charlie dug her nails into his back, scratching up to grip at his shoulders before smoothing her fingers down to feel the movement of Danse's muscles flexing with each thrust of his hips.

His movements became erratic, uncoordinated, and Charlie wrapped her leg around his waist. Her body tingled with the sensation of him moving within her. Heat fluttered in her belly as her mounting pleasure unraveled her senses. Pressure coiled within her and she could _feel_ that Danse was right there with her.

She clutched at his shoulders and gripped the back of his neck for leverage to press her body up against him. Overwhelmed with heat and sensation, Danse snapped his hips into her and Charlie cried out as euphoria burned through her. A few quick thrusts and Danse was quivering and groaning with his own bliss.

Unable to hold himself up, he allowed the weight of his body to pull him down and guide his head to rest upon Charlie's shoulder. He nuzzled into her neck, lips pressing ever so slightly against her skin. Reluctant to move or part from each other, they remained like that, a breathless tangle of limbs, for several moments.

Charlie combed her fingers through his hair, trying to catch her breath and tenderly rubbed his back. Slowly, Danse untangled himself from her and shifted to lie on his back. He pulled her close, and Charlie snuggled up to him, resting her hand on his chest above his heart, right where it belonged.

"I don't like when you're gone," she mumbled against his skin.

"I know," he lightly trailed his fingers up her arm and threaded his fingers through her tousled hair , "but it makes this so much sweeter." Danse pressed his fingers to her chin, tilting her face up so he could capture her gaze, "Charlie, my love, do you know how much you mean to me?"

Her heart stuttered at the sentiment. Captivated by the soft smile upon his lips, Charlie couldn't look away. She loved every part of him. His warm brown eyes, so full of love and a lifetime of devotion. She loved every facet of his face, every line and scar; she loved them all. And she loved him more than words could possibly express.

"I could ask you the same," her voice a breathless whisper as she murmured, "I love you."

His smile never faltered, and he pressed his lips to hers once more, "I love you too."

Danse brushed the threads of hair from her face and tucked her head beneath his chin, wrapping her up in his arms as he kissed her brow. Within a few minutes, Danse's chest began to rise and fall with the deep, rhythmic sounds of sleep. Content and _warm_ and barely able to keep her own eyes open, Charlie let the warmth of his skin and the sound of his heartbeat lull her to sleep, surrendering herself to unconsciousness with her worries long since forgotten.


End file.
